1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controlled wall saw with a disc-shaped blade, which is securable on a to-be-cut wall, and to a controlling method for such a wall saw.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wall saw with a disc-shaped blade, which is securable on a to-be-cut wall and is designed for cutting stone and the like, is used in a constructional industry to cut out an opening in a wall in several offset steps by separating appropriate wall pieces. Usually, the to-be-cut wall is bordered by adjacent walls, wherein “wall” also means floor and ceiling. As a rotary drive for the saw blade, which is arranged in the saw head, a heavy-duty hydraulic motor or electric motor is used. The motor is connected by respective conduits or conductors with a corresponding separate power source.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,579 discloses a wall saw that includes a guide rail securable on a to-be-cut wall, a saw head displaceable along the guide rail, a rotary drive, and a pivotally adjustable saw arm on a radially end of which a rotatably driven, disc-shaped saw blade is releasably mountable. Such wall saws, to which the present invention is limited, have the following degrees of freedom, which are controlled by the user, namely, rotation of the saw blade, pivot angle of the saw arm, and longitudinal displacement of the saw head. In addition, a saw blade diameter, which defines a parameter, can be manually changed by changing the disc-shaped saw blade. However, at least partially automatic sawing process is not disclosed.
German Publication DE 19737617 discloses a controlled wall saw securable directly on a to-be-cut wall and including control electronic and a portable remote control system with which a user can manually remotely control the rotary drive and the longitudinal displacement. The hydraulic drive is electrically controlled, over a program-controlled hydraulic valve, by a step motor and an end switch. However, the foregoing control means does not provide for at least partially automatic process. Rather, the user manually directly controls the sawing process using the remote control system and actively following the sawing process.
Also known are stationary program-controlled stone cutting machines for a complete automatic cutting of compact rock pieces. Thus, German Publication DE 4006668 discloses a rock cutting machine in which to-be-cut rock pieces are placed on a working table in a working region of a long guide rail in which there are provided displacement sensors and a saw blade displaceable in many directions. According to a sawing process which is programmed in a computer, the saw blade performs reciprocating repeated movements offset by a cut depth, with the optimal reversing points being calculated based on a profile of a rock piece determined by distance measuring sensors. However, the controlled process of DE 4006668 is not applicable to wall saws securable on to-be-cut walls. In addition, during cutting the rock piece, no obstacles in form, e.g., side walls, should be taken into consideration.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is a program-controlled wall saw and an associated controlling process for effecting at least partially automatic sawing process.